Drill

[Sarah999]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone has an old drill (for drilling glass) they want to sell? I am not sure what the drills are called though :S
I would like to be able to drill through fused pendants.

Thank you
(If not does anyone know where I can buy one on a budget?)
xxx

[dinah46]

If you mean the diamond tipped drill bits then you can get them from manchester minerals

[stuwaudby]

If you are looking for a drill machine then what you need is a Pillar Drill. There are various options available ranging from £40 to £hundreds. For glass it is important to buy one which can run at slow speed. you will also need some sort of drill vice to clamp the piece into, I do not recommend holding it in your hand.

You will need to supply water to the piece for cooling and lubrication. Don't worry too much about constant water feed system, a small amount of water applied from something like a squeezy sauce bottle will be fine.

It is possible to use a hand drill but there is extra risk to your piece and expensive drill bit.

[julieHB]

I have come across conflicting advise on how to drill through fused glass, and I am not saying that any of the above is incorrect, just voicing a different viewpoint. So please, Stuart and anyone else who are doing it differently, don't feel offended at my post - I don't say that you are wrong, for all I know your methods are a lot better, I am simply explaining my way. 

When I started making fused pendants several years ago, I followed the advice in the book "Innovative Adornments - An Introduction to Fused Glass & Wire jewellery". In there it states that the way to make a SMALL hole (2mm or less) is to use a core diamond drill bit at high speed (20,000 RPM or more) with very little pressure. I bought a 2mm diamond core drill bit 5 years ago, and still use it today (although I need to replace it soon). I have an ice cream tub with edges cut down to about 1". In there is a tile. I mark the fused pendant with a cd marker, smear a tiny bit of Vaseline over the mark (so it doesn't disappear when submerged), put the pendant on the tile and cover with water. Start your drill about 45 deg to the glass to get a hold, then turn it upright and off you go. The weight of the drill is enough pressure, and every now and again I lift the drill bit out to allow new cold water to enter the hole. This goes through almost, but not quite, like a knife through butter  If I want the hole bigger I use one of the cheap cone shaped diamond burrs (you get a set for a fiver) to increase it. NB: As a bigger drill bit has a lot bigger circumference you need to decrease the speed considerably!!

I have used this method for making holes in bottles, tiles and other thicker glass bit as well.

I now have a dremel, but I used to have quite a cheap drill with a max. speed of 20,000 RPM. The diamond core bit (basically, it is cylinder shaped, so you grind away a core of glass) cost me about £15. I know www.inland.co.uk sells them, but you have to phone or email them. NB: Make sure you remove the little core of glass trapped inside the drill with a needle or similar after every hole you make! 

I would love to have a Pillar stand for the dremel to make positioning easier, but hey-ho, that's way down the list. If you just start the hole at 45 degrees you don't get any problems with slithering about 

The above is obviously not for huge production numbers, but it works very well. 

[Soozintheshed]

Thanks Julie, thats brill.  I have been tempted to have a go at drilling for a while now.

[bluefairy]

Thats how I do it too Julie